Page 74 of Arranged Scars
I throw the grenade. It goes off a second later. Bodies break to pieces and there’s more screaming as I jump the table and start shooting. I’m killing, killing, a death god in his element, mowing down shooters like they’re straw targets. Blood, bones, brain matter, and body gristle splatters the walls and drenches the floor in slick gore. I scream, kicking one man in the face, bashing another with the butt of my rifle. I reload, shoot a third point blank, struggling to find Dermot?—
Something sharp and painful rips into my shoulder. Another punches into my chest. I gasp, staggering back. Another smashes my stomach, knocking the wind from me. I see him twenty feet away, teeth showing in a snarl, and I try to raise my gun, but my body’s not responding. Blood pours down my forearm, soaks my fingers, and makes the trigger slick. There’s something wrong with my muscles. I can’t make them work.
“Come on! Run!” Liam grabs me back as bullets scream in the air. I stagger against him, the rifle falling from my numb grip. I try to pull my pistol but I can’t make my hand function.
We scramble over corpses. Liam throws another grenade over his shoulder. It goes off, but I doubt it kills anyone. The smoke and fire it makes covers our escape though. I smash sideways, tilt and nearly trip, stumbling to keep up. I’m breathing hard and I’m much more fucked up than I realize. Blood’s dripping from my fingertips.
The night smells fresh. I gasp for breath. The van’s there, waiting, and Liam practically throws me in the back. Shooters appear and Liam’s yelling at Caroline. She’s yelling back as the tires peel out and the van lurches forward wildly, swerving into a parked car, swerving into another, before righting itself. Bullets punch through the back panels and smash straight through theother side. Caroline keeps going and I’m thrown against the wall of the van when she takes a hard turn.
“Stay down,” Liam says, yanking at the straps of my vest. “How bad is it?”
“Don’t know,” I say through gritted teeth. He gets the vest off and I look down.
No blood. No holes. I was expecting something nasty, but the ceramics held. Thank fucking God for that.
“Just this one.” Liam fumbles with a medical kit and shoves several gauze bandages against my shoulder.
I clench my jaw in pain. Caroline’s staring at me wildly in the rearview mirror. “How hurt is he?” she asks, voice strained by worry.
“He’ll be fine. Keep driving.” Liam stays calm as he works on me. “Vest took the bad shots. This one just winged him.”
“Winged me? Hit my fucking shoulder. Nearly blew my damn arm off.”
“You’re being dramatic.” Liam’s grinning. His face is streaked with blood. I doubt it’s his. “That was one hell of a show in there, huh?”
I snarl in pain as he pushes more gauze on my bleeding wound.
“What do we do?” Caroline asks, still driving fast, but more under control now. “He needs a doctor.”
“No, can’t risk it.” I shake my head hard. “We’re on vacation, remember?”
She groans and curses. “What the hell are we going to do?!”
“Follow the plan. Get us to our next checkpoint. We ditch the van, go to the hotel, and stitch me up there. I’ll survive.”
“Finn, I don’t know?—”
“Hey. Caroline.” I inch toward her and reach out. I touch her arm. “You can do this.”
She takes a deep breath and blows it out. “Yeah, you’re right. I can do this. You just got shot, right? No big deal.”
“Not even the first time,” I say with a sigh as Liam jabs a syringe into my arm. “What the fuck is thaaa?——”
I moan as he injects me with painkillers. Good, strong opioids hit my system.
He’s grinning big. “There you go, boss. Enjoy it while it lasts.” He pats my cheek.
I smile back. “Love killing with you, bro.”
“Same, bro.”
“What did you do to him?” Caroline asks, but she sounds very far away. Did she jump into the pool again? “Liam, is he going to be okay?”
I’m not sure what they’re talking about anymore. I’m floating on clouds and I don’t have a damn care in the world.
28
CAROLINE
